James Tenser's RetailWire BlogJames Tenser, Principal, VSN Strategies blogs on RetailWire (retailwire.com).en-ushttp://www.retailwire.com/blog/58/james-tenser
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http://www.retailwire.com/public/people/58.gifJames Tenser's RetailWire BlogSun, 02 Aug 2015 20:26:54 EDTIs Amazon going to open a grocery drive-thru?http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/DA8C1A93-8FC3-4AEA-9E9C-89FD4A800F5F/is-amazon-going-to-open-a-grocery-drive-thru
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/DA8C1A93-8FC3-4AEA-9E9C-89FD4A800F5F/is-amazon-going-to-open-a-grocery-drive-thru<p>Amazon has little choice but to pursue this brick and mortar option as a countermeasure versus Walmart's experimentation with pick-up stations. While both concepts lead with grocery, they also have the potential to co-mingle other products from their long-tail assortments.</p> <p>I believe Amazon is playing catch-up in this instance. ThenMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:44:32 GMTChuck Taylor: Old school is cool againhttp://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/C81B00D7-148F-40F8-8823-ED066B18123D/chuck-taylor-old-school-is-cool-again
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/C81B00D7-148F-40F8-8823-ED066B18123D/chuck-taylor-old-school-is-cool-again<p>I lived in Converse All-Stars as a teen, replacing each pair only after the soles started peeling off and flapping with every step. The thin fabric inner liners stained my tube socks yellow.</p> <p>At $75 bucks a pair, the new upgraded version sounds like a deal worth checking out. IFri, 24 Jul 2015 17:38:22 GMTEBay and Neiman Marcus find gold in secondhand clotheshttp://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/95D0601B-B0CF-4988-BCBE-180398FD773D/ebay-and-neiman-marcus-find-gold-in-secondhand-clothes
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/95D0601B-B0CF-4988-BCBE-180398FD773D/ebay-and-neiman-marcus-find-gold-in-secondhand-clothes<p>High-end consignment selling is a very personalized business that seems unlikely to scale well. A $7,000 designer dress, size two, worn twice, on sale for $2,500, appeals to an exceedingly narrow audience.</p> <p>A well-organized online platform might improve the odds by reaching a nation-wide market, but try-ons will be aFri, 24 Jul 2015 17:26:45 GMTIs the future of upscale grocery in Aurora, IL?http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/DFAEE0BB-41D1-488B-9CDF-FF8109419AE7/is-the-future-of-upscale-grocery-in-aurora-il
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/DFAEE0BB-41D1-488B-9CDF-FF8109419AE7/is-the-future-of-upscale-grocery-in-aurora-il<p>Is there a sweet spot between low-price oriented stores and Whole Foods that a sharp supermarket company could profitably occupy? I've heard words to the effect of "organics-plus-center-store" uttered by folks familiar with Haggens (the WA-based chain that acquired 120 former Safeway, Vons and Albertsons earlier this year).</p> <p>Cosmopolitan MarketThu, 16 Jul 2015 21:45:05 GMTWalmart and Amazon trade shotshttp://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/A4B0C769-1345-47AF-9C92-DBA1D86030CF/walmart-and-amazon-trade-shots
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/A4B0C769-1345-47AF-9C92-DBA1D86030CF/walmart-and-amazon-trade-shots<p>Xmas in July may in ages hence be compared with other invented commercial holidays, like Hallmark's reputed invention of Mother's Day. Once Amazon opened the Prime Day floodgate, other large retailers evidently felt compelled to dive in. Consumer wallets are finite, after all.</p> <p>Retailers have good reason to desire aTue, 14 Jul 2015 18:08:02 GMTShould stores charge for BOPIS?http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/810477E0-ECE7-4B51-BCBF-A727E70F3E93/should-stores-charge-for-bopis
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/810477E0-ECE7-4B51-BCBF-A727E70F3E93/should-stores-charge-for-bopis<p>I think most retailers will have a hard time justifying a pickup fee, considering the expectation of free delivery that has been cultivated by Amazon and others. Even factoring in the operation of drive-through sites, pickups have to be less costly than vans to homes.</p> <p>Click-and-collect pickups aren't designed toMon, 13 Jul 2015 15:01:08 GMTTarget's 'Open House' is all about IoThttp://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/B6F09C3A-89A8-4BF0-A96A-9A499B2ED07F/targets-open-house-is-all-about-iot
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/B6F09C3A-89A8-4BF0-A96A-9A499B2ED07F/targets-open-house-is-all-about-iot<p>IoT is an unfathomable bit of tech jargon from the perspective of mere mortal consumers. So even these crude early efforts to show people how these connected devices can fit seamlessly into their lifestyles are pointed in the right direction.</p> <p>We don't need to quibble about the execution of Target'sFri, 10 Jul 2015 16:25:56 GMTSam's daily deals are simply shockinghttp://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/5A499FBC-AEC0-49E4-AE85-35BF10F7528D/sams-daily-deals-are-simply-shocking
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/5A499FBC-AEC0-49E4-AE85-35BF10F7528D/sams-daily-deals-are-simply-shocking<p>The Shocking Values program at Sam's Club bears an eerie resemblance to Woot!, an online daily deal site that I have used occasionally. No shame in copying a good idea, I suppose, but I don't see this achieving the kind of scale that will move the competitive needle versusTue, 07 Jul 2015 16:04:39 GMTWhat is the next step for retailers on social media?http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/15EB66C7-2D7B-497D-8877-E6F5653326FB/what-is-the-next-step-for-retailers-on-social-media
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/15EB66C7-2D7B-497D-8877-E6F5653326FB/what-is-the-next-step-for-retailers-on-social-media<p>Social media definitely influence purchases - both in-store and online. They act as extensions of the physical store into the virtual world, reflecting norms, trends and opinions of consumers.</p> <p>Retailers and brands may overreach, however, when they try to control the social media dialog. Attracting followers to a corporate FacebookMon, 06 Jul 2015 19:16:51 GMTAre third parties the answer for optimizing deliveries?http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/71E4C1ED-3729-4EF2-9C1C-358CCD24A2D9/are-third-parties-the-answer-for-optimizing-deliveries
http://www.retailwire.com/blog-post/71E4C1ED-3729-4EF2-9C1C-358CCD24A2D9/are-third-parties-the-answer-for-optimizing-deliveries<p>Operating multiple, parallel proprietary delivery mechanisms is inherently inefficient. This is why USPS, UPS and FedEx add value as common carriers - they consolidate shipments from many sources on a single truck.</p> <p>Grocery delivery is a special instance, however, requiring temperature control and narrow delivery windows. Running your own vansMon, 06 Jul 2015 19:05:27 GMT